Mobile communication terminal and display control method

ABSTRACT

In order to perform control to optimize a display area during the execution of application software, the cellular phone  1  according to the present invention communicates with an application software distribution apparatus for distributing application software and is characterized by comprising a display unit  5  that includes a display screen  51  and serves to display information on the display screen  51 ; a wireless unit  7  for receiving, from the application software distribution apparatus, application software, and attribute data that indicates an assumed display area that is to be used as a display area during execution of the application software; and a control unit  2  for controlling the display area of the application software in the display screen  51  of the display  5  on the basis of the attribute data received by the wireless unit  7  and displayable area data that indicates the displayable area of the display screen  51.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a mobile communication terminal and adisplay control method which make it possible to control a display areaduring execution of application software.

BACKGROUND ART

The design of application software which is downloaded to and executedon a mobile communication terminal such as a cellular phone is generallycarried out with the pixels in the display screen of the mobilecommunication terminal being considered as coordinates. Therefore, incases where the designed application software display area, and thedisplayable area of the display screen of the mobile communicationterminal on which this application software is executed are the same,the images of the application software are displayed so as to match thedisplay screen.

However, in cases where the display area of the application software issmaller than the displayable area of the display screen in which theapplication software is executed, the corresponding images are displayedinclined toward the top left of the display screen, and, for example,the appearance of application software for the receiving screen is notfavorable.

Further, in cases where the display area of the application software islarger than the displayable area of the display screen on which thisapplication software is executed, part of the corresponding images iscut from the top of the display screen and not displayed.

In order to resolve these problems, complex processing has been requiredsuch as processing that prepares application software display area sizesfor each displayable area of a variety of mobile communication terminalsand that performs distribution by allocating application software toeach mobile communication terminal.

Accordingly, the present invention was conceived with the foregoing inview, and an object thereof is to provide a mobile communicationterminal and a display control method that obviate the need for complexprocessing of the kind described above and make it possible to performcontrol such that the display area during execution of applicationsoftware is optimum.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

In order to achieve the above object, the mobile communication terminalaccording to the present invention is characterized by comprising:displaying means that include a display screen and that serve to displayinformation on this display screen; receiving means for receivingapplication software, and attribute data that indicates ah assumeddisplay area that is to be used as a display area during execution ofthe application software; and controlling means for controlling thedisplay area of the application software in the display screen of thedisplaying means on the basis of the attribute data received by thereceiving means and displayable area data that indicates the displayablearea of the display screen.

In the above mobile communication terminal, the receiving means receiveapplication software, and attribute data that indicates an assumeddisplay area that is to be used as a display area during execution ofthe application software. Therefore, the controlling means are capableof controlling the display area of the application software in thedisplay screen of the displaying means on the basis of the receivedattribute data and displayable area data, whereby the applicationsoftware can be executed using an optimum display area. Further, theorder in which the receiving means receive the application software andthe attribute data is such that either the application software or theattribute data may be received first. Also, areas in the display area,the assumed display area and the displayable area are areas whose unitsare the pixels of the display screen and which are perceived as sets ofthese pixels. Here, the display area is the application software displayarea in the display screen during execution of the application software.

Further, the mobile communication terminal according to the presentinvention can also adopt the following constitutional form as a mobilecommunication terminal for communicating with an application softwaredistribution apparatus. That is, the mobile communication terminalaccording to the present invention is a mobile communication terminalfor communicating with an application software distribution apparatusthat distributes application software, and may adopt a constitutioncomprising: displaying means that include a display screen and thatserve to display information on this display screen; receiving means forreceiving, from the application software distribution apparatus, theapplication software, and attribute data that indicates an assumeddisplay area that is to be used as a display area during execution ofthe application software; and controlling means for controlling thedisplay area of the application software in the display screen of thedisplaying means on the basis of the attribute data received by thereceiving means and displayable area data that indicates the displayablearea of the display screen.

The above-described controlling means preferably comprise: judging meansfor judging whether or not the assumed display area fits into thedisplayable area on the basis of the attribute data and the displayablearea data; size setting means which, in cases where the result of thejudgment by the judging means is that the assumed display area fits intothe displayable area, set the size of the assumed display area as thesize of the display area, and which, in cases where the assumed displayarea exceeds the displayable area, set a size which is produced as aresult of reducing the size of the assumed display area so that theassumed display area fits into the displayable area as the size of thedisplay area; and position setting means for setting the position of thedisplay area to a predetermined position in the displayable area so thatthe display area whose size has been set by the size setting means fitsinto the displayable area.

The judging means judge whether or not the assumed display area fitsinto the displayable area on the basis of the attribute data and thedisplayable area data, and in cases where the judgment result is thatthe assumed display area exceeds the displayable area, the size settingmeans set a size which is produced as a result of reducing the size ofthe assumed display area so that the assumed display area fits into thedisplayable area as the size of the display area, and the positionsetting means set the position of the display area to a predeterminedposition in the displayable area so that the display area whose size hasbeen set by the size setting means fits into the displayable area. As aresult, even in cases where the assumed display area of the applicationsoftware has been designed with a size that exceeds the displayable areaof the display screen, it is possible to prevent part of the image frombeing cut from the top of the display screen.

In addition, the controlling means preferably comprise: prohibitingmeans which, in cases where the displaying means do not comprise areduced display function for the display screen and the assumed displayarea exceeds the displayable area, prohibit the setting of the size ofthe display area which is performed by the size setting means. Thismeans that the present invention is also applicable to a mobilecommunication terminal whose display means do not comprise a reduceddisplay function for the display screen.

Further, the size setting means may set a size which is produced as aresult of enlarging the size of the assumed display area within a rangethat fits into the displayable area as the size of the display area incases where the result of the judgment by the judging means is that theassumed display area fits into the displayable area. This means that if,in cases where the assumed display area of the application software ismuch smaller than the displayable area of the mobile communicationterminal, a size which is produced as a result of enlarging the size ofthe assumed display area within a range that fits into the displayablearea is made the size of the display area, user convenience in usingthis mobile communication terminal can be improved.

Moreover, the predetermined position is preferably approximately at thecenter of the displayable area. This means that, generally, when animage of the application software is displayed approximately at thecenter of the display screen, it is also possible to provide a favorableappearance and to increase user convenience.

Here, the mobile communication terminal may further comprise designatingmeans which allow the user to designate a predetermined position. Thismeans that it is possible to fulfill individual user requests and toimprove user convenience further.

However, when the invention for the above-described variety of mobilecommunication terminals is presented from the perspective of a displaycontrol method, the following description may be provided. This is basedon the same technological idea as the above mobile communicationterminal invention, and the resolving means are also based on the sameidea as that above.

In order to resolve the above object, the display control methodaccording to the present invention is a display control method which isexecuted by a mobile communication terminal comprising displaying meansthat include a display screen and that serve to display information onthe display screen, characterized by comprising: a receiving step ofreceiving application software, and attribute data that indicates anassumed display area that is to be used as a display area duringexecution of the application software; and a controlling step ofcontrolling the display area of the application software in the displayscreen of the displaying means on the basis of the attribute datareceived in the receiving step and displayable area data that indicatesthe displayable area of the display screen.

Further, the display control method according to the present inventioncan also adopt the following form as a display control method which isexecuted by a mobile communication terminal for communicating with anapplication software distribution apparatus. In other words, the displaycontrol method according to the present invention is a display controlmethod which is executed by a mobile communication terminal forcommunicating with an application software distribution apparatus thatdistributes application software, which mobile communication terminalcomprises displaying means that include a display screen and that serveto display information on the display screen, wherein the displaycontrolling method may adopt a form comprising: a receiving step ofreceiving, from the application software distribution apparatus, theapplication software, and attribute data that indicates an assumeddisplay area that is to be used as a display area during execution ofthe application software; and a controlling step of controlling thedisplay area of the application software in the display screen of thedisplaying means on the basis of the attribute data received in thereceiving step and displayable area data that indicates the displayablearea of the display screen.

The above-described controlling step preferably comprises: a judgingstep of judging whether or not the assumed display area fits into thedisplayable area on the basis of the attribute data and the displayablearea data; a size setting step of setting the size of the assumeddisplay area as the size of the display area in cases where the resultof the judgment in the judging step is that the assumed display areafits into the displayable area, and of setting a size which is producedas a result of reducing the size of the assumed display area so that theassumed display area fits into the displayable area as the size of thedisplay area in cases where the assumed display area exceeds thedisplayable area; and a position setting step of setting the position ofthe display area to a predetermined position in the displayable area sothat the display area whose size has been set in the size setting stepfits into the displayable area.

In addition, in cases where the displaying means do not comprise areduced display function for the display screen and the assumed displayarea exceeds the displayable area, the setting of the size of thedisplay area in the size setting step is preferably prohibited.

Further, in cases where the result of the judgment in the judging stepis that the assumed display area fits into the displayable area, thesize setting step sets a size which is produced as a result of enlargingthe size of the assumed display area within a range that fits into thedisplayable area as the size of the display area.

Further, the predetermined position is approximately at the center ofthe displayable area.

The above object of the present invention as well as othercharacteristics and benefits thereof will be evident to the personsskilled in the art by reading the detailed description that follows withreference to the attached drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the overallconstitution of an application distribution system;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the functional constitution of acellular phone;

FIG. 3 shows an example of data storage in an ADF storage area and anapplication storage area;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the functional constitution of anapplication distribution server;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart to illustrate processing by the applicationdistribution server;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart to illustrate processing by the cellular phoneaccording to a first embodiment;

FIG. 7 is a flowchart to illustrate processing by the cellular phoneaccording to a second embodiment;

FIG. 8A shows an example of an application software display on thedisplay screen in a case where the assumed display area size and thedisplayable area size are the same;

FIG. 8B shows an example of an application software display on thedisplay screen in a case where the assumed display area size is smallerthan the displayable area size and when the display function is OFF;

FIG. 8C shows an example of an application software display on thedisplay screen in a case where the assumed display area size is smallerthan the displayable area size and when the display function is ON; and

FIG. 8D shows an example of an application software display on thedisplay screen in a case where the assumed display area size is largerthan the displayable area size.

BEST MODES FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detailhereinbelow by referring to the attached drawings. Further, in thefollowing description of the embodiments and in the attached drawings,“application software” is abbreviated to “application”.

FIRST EMBODIMENT

First, the constitution of the apparatus according to the firstembodiment will be described. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing anexample of the overall constitution of an application distributionsystem 100 according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, theapplication distribution system 100 is constituted comprising a cellularphone 1 (corresponds to the mobile communication terminal) and anapplication distribution server 11. The cellular phone 1 is connected toa packet communications network N via a base station B. Further, theapplication distribution server 11 is connected via a wire line to thepacket communication network N.

The internal constitution of the cellular phone 1 will be described indetail hereinbelow by referring to FIG. 2. FIG. 2 is a block diagramshowing the functional constitution of the cellular phone 1. As shown inFIG. 2, the cellular phone 1 is constituted by a control unit 2(corresponds to the controlling means), an input unit 3 (corresponds tothe designating means), a RAM 4, a display 5 (corresponds to the displaymeans), a memory unit 6, a wireless unit 7 (corresponds to the receivingmeans), and a voice processor 9, and these components are connected soas to permit inputs and outputs of a variety of signals via a bus 10.

The control unit 2 contains a ROM 2 a, reads out programs that arepre-stored in the ROM 2 a and expands these programs in the RAM 4 so asto perform centralized control of the components in accordance withthese programs. In other words, the control unit 2 executes cellularphone processing (see FIG. 6) that will be described subsequently, inaccordance with input-signals inputted by the input unit 3 and withprograms expanded in the RAM 4. Further, in the course of thisprocessing, the execution of an application which is downloaded from theapplication distribution server 11 is launched.

The input unit 3 is constituted comprising a variety of operationbuttons for instructing the ON/OFF of the power supply and the selectionof functions, and so forth. As a result of pushing this variety ofoperation buttons separately or in combination, input-signals areoutputted to the control unit 2 in accordance with the contents of theinstruction.

The RAM 4 is constituted by a semiconductor and so forth and, in thevaried processing which is executed by the control unit 2, temporarilystores programs which is read out from the ROM 2 a and data which isread out from the memory unit 6. In addition, the RAM 4 also functionsas a VRAM (Video RAM) for temporarily storing data which is displayed onthe display 5.

The display 5 comprises a screen 51, and is constituted by an LCD(Liquid Crystal Display) and EL (Electro Luminescence) and the like, anddisplays images and other display data on the screen 51 in accordancewith display signals which are inputted by the control unit 2. Whendisplaying display data on the screen 51, the display 5 comprises anenlarged display function that displays the display data after enlargingsame as well as a reduced display function that displays the displaydata after reducing same. Further, the displayable area data thatindicates the displayable area of this screen 51 is pre-stored in theROM 2 a of the control unit 2. The displayable area data expresses thevertical and horizontal sizes of the screen 51 in numbers of pixels(that is, the units are [dot]).

The memory unit 6 is constituted by a nonvolatile semiconductor memorysuch as an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable and Programmable ROM) andstores data which is required in order to allow the control unit 2 toexecute all kinds of processing, and data which is created as a resultof execution of such processing, and other data. For example, the memoryunit 6 forms an ADF storage area 61 and an application storage area 62at the time of the execution of the application processing by thecellular phone and which will be described in detail subsequently.

The ADF storage area 61 is a data area that stores a file constituted bydata pertaining to attributes of applications which are executable bythe cellular phone 1 as an “ADF (Attribute Definition File)”.

Here, a description will be provided for an example of data storagewithin the ADF storage area 61 by referring to FIG. 3. As shown in FIG.3, the ADF storage area 61 stores application IDs, and a plurality ofADFs 61 a, 61 b, (corresponding to the attribute data) that comprise atleast data indicating application vertical sizes and applicationhorizontal sizes.

The application IDs are data (for example, “AP001”, “AP002”, . . . )which are uniquely allocated in order to identify applications. Further,so long as the application IDs are able to specify the applicationsstored, the application IDs are not limited to code data and may insteadbe text data showing the name of the application, a URL (UniformResource Locator) of the Web page from which the download originated,and so forth.

The application vertical size expresses the total width in the verticaldirection of the assumed display area, which is designed to be used asthe display area during the execution of an application, as a number ofpixels. The application horizontal size expresses the total width in thehorizontal direction of the assumed display area as a number of pixels.

The application storage area 62 is a program area for storingapplications which are executed by the cellular phone 1. As shown inFIG. 3, applications 62 a, 62 b, are stored so as to correspond with theabove application IDs. Therefore, the applications 62 a, 62 b are storedso as to correspond with the ADFs 61 a, 61 b, . . . via the applicationIDs.

Further, for the sake of expediency in the description, these data,namely the application IDs, the application vertical size, and theapplication horizontal size are constituted so as to be stored in thesame storage area (the ADF storage area 61). However, so long as thestorage format corresponds to one in which data can be read out, theconstitution need not be such that storage is at least in the samestorage area.

Returning to FIG. 2, the wireless unit 7 is a circuit comprising amodulation/demodulation section (not shown) for modulating/demodulatinga signal, and encoding/decoding unit (not shown) for encoding/decoding asignal, and the wireless unit 7 comprises an antenna 7 a. The antenna 7a is provided expandably at the top of the case of the cellular phone 1,and sends data to the base station B and receives data from the basestation B.

During reception, the modulation/demodulation unit performs processingto demodulate a signal inputted via the antenna 7 a, to a signal thatcan be processed by the encoding/decoding unit. On the other hand,during transmission, the modulation/demodulation unit performsprocessing to modulate a digital signal which has been converted by theencoding/decoding unit, to a signal that can be transmitted via radio.Further, the encoding/decoding unit is constituted by a CODEC, and,during reception, performs processing (decoding) to convert a digitalsignal inputted from the modulation/demodulation unit into an analogsignal. On the other hand, during transmission, themodulation/demodulation section performs processing (encoding) toconvert a voice signal or other analog signal into a digital signal, andcompresses the converted digital signal into a data volume suitable fortransmission.

The voice processor 9 is constituted by a converter and an amplifier,and the like, and comprises a microphone 9 a and speaker 9 b. During atelephone call, the voice processor 9 converts voice data inputted fromthe control unit 2 into an analog signal by means of the converter, andthis analog signal passes via the amplifier before being emitted via thespeaker 9 b. Further, during a telephone call, the voice processor 9converts, by means of the converter, a voice signal inputted via themicrophone 9 a into a digital signal which permits wirelesscommunications, and then outputs this digital signal to the wirelessunit 7.

Next, the internal constitution of the application distribution server11 will be outlined by referencing FIG. 4. As shown in FIG. 4, theapplication distribution server 11 is constituted comprising a CPU 12,an input unit 13, a display 14, a transceiver unit 15, a RAM 16, and amemory unit 17, these components being connected to one another by meansof a bus 18.

The CPU 12 reads out a variety of programs which are stored in thememory unit 17 and expands these programs in the RAM 16 so as to performcentralized control of the components in accordance with these programs.Further, the CPU 12 executes transmission processing (see FIG. 5) whichwill be described subsequently, in accordance with the programs expandedin the RAM 16, and then stores the processing results in the RAM 16 anddisplays the results on the display 14. Further, the processing resultsstored in the RAM 16 are stored in the memory unit 17.

The input unit 13 is constituted comprising a keyboard, and a mouse andthe like which allow an operator to set the contents of the ADFpertaining to the application which is to be distributed, and the inputunit 13 outputs inputted data as an input-signal to the CPU 12.

The display 14 is constituted by display apparatus such as an LCD and aCRT (Cathode Ray Tube) and the like.

The transceiver unit 15 is connected via a wire line to the packetcommunications network N, and performs the reception of a request signaland the like from the cellular phone 1 as well as ADF and applicationtransmissions or other transmissions to the cellular phone 1 through thebase station B.

In the various processing whose execution is controlled by the CPU 12,the RAM 16 forms temporary storage areas for a variety of programs andADF data, and the like, which are read out from the memory unit 17.

The memory unit 17 stores the variety of programs and ADF data, and thelike, which are transmitted in the transmission processing describedsubsequently.

Next, the operation of the cellular phone 1 and the applicationdistribution server 11 according to the first embodiment will bedescribed by referring to FIGS. 5 and 6. FIG. 5 is a flowchart toillustrate processing by the application distribution server 11, andFIG. 6 is a flowchart to illustrate processing by the cellular phone 1.Further, in the present embodiment, an example is described in whichADFs and applications are distributed in this order from the applicationdistribution server 11 to the cellular phone 1.

The processing of the application distribution server 11 will bedescribed first. In T1 of FIG. 5, the application distribution server 11awaits reception of a request from the cellular phone 1 (such as anacquisition request for the ADF pertaining to a desired application, anda desired application acquisition request, for example). When a requestis received from the cellular phone 1, the processing proceeds to T2 andthe request is received and the content thereof is analyzed. Further, inT3, it is judged whether or not this request is an ADF acquisitionrequest relating to a desired application, and if this request is an ADFacquisition request, the ADF pertaining to the desired application istransmitted to the cellular phone 1 in T4.

In T5 which follows, it is judged whether or not this request is adesired application acquisition request, and if this request is anapplication acquisition request, the desired application is transmittedto the cellular phone 1 in T6, whereupon the processing of FIG. 6 iscomplete. By means of the above processing in FIG. 5, the applicationdistribution server 11 is capable of transmitting the ADF pertaining toa desired application along with the desired application, to thecellular phone 1 in accordance with the request from the cellular phone1.

The processing of the cellular phone 1 will be described next. In S1 ofFIG. 6, the cellular phone 1 first transmits an acquisition request forthe ADF pertaining to the desired application to the applicationdistribution server 11. Then, when the ADF has been transmitted by theapplication distribution server 11 in accordance with this request andby means of the above processing in FIG. 5, the ADF is received andstored in the ADF storage area 61 in S2.

In S3 which follows, an acquisition request for the desired applicationis transmitted. Then, when the desired application has been transmittedby the application distribution server 11 in accordance with thisrequest and by means of the above processing of FIG. 5, this applicationis received and stored in the application storage area 62 in S4. At thispoint in time, the download to the cellular phone 1 of the desiredapplication and the ADF which pertains to this application is complete.Further, here, in the absence of the above operation to instructexecution of the application, the processing of FIG. 6 ends.

When the above operation to instruct execution of the application isperformed by the user of the cellular phone 1 in S5, the processingproceeds to S6, whereupon analysis of the ADF pertaining to thisapplication is performed. Then, in S7, it is judged whether or not theassumed display area in this ADF fits into the displayable area of thescreen 51 (that is, whether or not the application vertical size of theassumed display area is equal to or less than the vertical size of thedisplayable area and the application horizontal size of the assumeddisplay area is equal to or less than the horizontal size of thedisplayable area).

As a result, in cases where the assumed display area exceeds thedisplayable area (that is, the application vertical size of the assumeddisplay area exceeds the vertical size of the displayable area or theapplication horizontal size of the assumed display area exceeds thehorizontal size of the displayable area), the processing proceeds to S8,and the reduction rate which permits all of the assumed display area tofit into the displayable area is calculated, and, in S9, the reducedsize as a result of multiplying this reduction rate by the applicationvertical size and the application horizontal size of the assumed displayarea is set as the size of the application display area in the screen51.

On the other hand, in cases where the assumed display area fits into thedisplayable area, the processing proceeds to S10 and it is judgedwhether or not the enlarged display function of the display 5 is ON.Further, the ON/OFF of the enlarged display function is set as a resultof the user making inputs by means of the input unit 3 beforehand.Further, when the enlarged display function is ON, the processingproceeds to S11 and the enlargement rate within a range in which all ofthe assumed display area fits into the displayable area is calculated.Then, in S12, the enlarged size as a result of multiplying thisenlargement rate by the application vertical size and the applicationhorizontal size of the assumed display area is set as the size of theapplication display area in screen 51. Further, when the enlargeddisplay function is OFF, the processing proceeds to S13 and the size ofthe assumed display area is set as the size of the application displayarea in the screen 51.

When the size of the application display area is set in S9, S12 and S13,the processing proceeds to S14 and the position of the display area isset to the center of the displayable area. Further, if all of thedisplay area can fit into the displayable area, the display area may beset to a position other than the center of the displayable area. Then,the corresponding application is executed in S15.

At such time, in cases where the size of the application assumed displayarea and the size of the displayable area of the screen 51 are the same,the application is displayed in the screen 51 in a state in which theassumed display area and the displayable area match, as shown in FIG.8A. Further, in cases where the size of the assumed display area issmaller than the size of the displayable area, when the enlarged displayfunction of the display 5 is OFF, the application is the size of theassumed display area and is displayed in the center of the screen 51, asshown in FIG. 8B. When the enlarged display function of the display 5 isON, the application is displayed with a size which is produced as aresult of enlarging the size of the assumed display area, as shown inFIG. 8C. Furthermore, in cases where the size of the assumed displayarea is larger than the size of the displayable area, the application isdisplayed with a size which is produced as a result of reducing the sizeof the assumed display area, as shown in FIG. 8D.

As described hereinabove, according to the cellular phone 1 of the firstembodiment, upon execution of an application which is distributed by theapplication distribution server 11, the control unit 2 judges whether ornot the assumed display area fits into the displayable area on the basisof the assumed display area data in the ADF which corresponds with theapplication and which is received from the application distributionserver 11 beforehand, and data for the displayable area of the screen51, and in cases where this assumed display area exceeds the displayablearea, the control unit 2 sets, as the size of the display area, a sizewhich is produced by reducing the size of the assumed display area sothat all of the assumed display area fits into the displayable area, andalso sets the position of the display area to the center of thedisplayable area so that all of the display area whose-size has been setfits into the displayable area. Accordingly, even in cases where theassumed display area of the application distributed by the applicationdistribution server 11 has been designed with a size that exceeds thedisplayable area of the screen 51, it is possible to prevent part of theimage from being cut from the top of the screen 51, whereby theapplication can be displayed in an optimum display area.

Further, in cases where the result of the above-described judgment bythe control unit 2 is that the assumed display area fits into thedisplayable area, turning OFF the enlarged display function of thedisplay makes it possible to display the application at the center ofthe screen 51 so as to have the size of the assumed display area, andhere, by affording the circumference of the application display area acolor that has a high contrast with respect to the display area, it ispossible to provide a favorable appearance and to increase userconvenience. On the other hand, by turning ON the enlarged displayfunction of the display 5, even in cases where the assumed display areaof the application is much smaller than the displayable area of thescreen 51, the application can be displayed having a size which isenlarged beyond the size of the assumed display area, whereby userconvenience can be improved.

SECOND EMBODIMENT

Next, a description will be provided for the cellular phone 1 accordingto the second embodiment. The display 5 of the cellular phone 1according to the second embodiment does not comprise a reduced displayfunction for the screen 51 (comprises only an enlarged displayfunction), and the control unit 2 executes cellular phone processing(see FIG. 7) which is described subsequently. Further, the otherconstitutions of the cellular phone 1, the overall constitution of theapplication distribution system 100 which the cellular phone 1 applies,the internal constitution of the application distribution server 11 ofthe application distribution system 100, and the operation thereof, arelike those of the first embodiment described above, and a descriptionthereof is therefore omitted here.

The processing of the cellular phone 1 of the second embodiment will nowbe described by referring to FIG. 7. In S21 of FIG. 7, the cellularphone 1 first transmits an acquisition request for the ADF pertaining tothe desired application to the application distribution server 11. Then,when the ADF has been transmitted in accordance with this request by theapplication distribution server 11 and by means of the above processingof FIG. 5, the ADF is received in S22. Then, the ADF is analyzed in S23,and in S24 it is judged whether or not the assumed display area in theADF fits into the displayable area of the screen 51 (that is, whether ornot the application vertical size of the assumed display area is equalto or less than the vertical size of the displayable area and theapplication horizontal size of the assumed display area is equal to orless than the horizontal size of the displayable area).

As a result, in a case where the assumed display area exceeds thedisplayable area (in other words, in cases where the applicationvertical size of the assumed display area exceeds the vertical size ofthe displayable area or the application horizontal size of the assumeddisplay area exceeds the horizontal size of the displayable area), theprocessing proceeds to S25, and the fact that the application whichcorresponds with this ADF is unexecutable is displayed on the screen 51.

On the other hand, in cases where the assumed display area fits into thedisplayable area, the processing proceeds to S26, and the ADF is storedin the ADF storage area 61. In S27 that follows, an acquisition requestfor the desired application is transmitted. Then, when the desiredapplication has been transmitted in accordance with this request by theapplication distribution server 11 and by means of the above processingof FIG. 5, this application is received and stored in the applicationstorage area 62 in S28. At this point in time, the download to thecellular phone 1 of the desired application and the ADF which pertainsto this application is complete. Further, here, in the absence of theabove operation to instruct execution of the application, the processingof FIG. 7 ends.

When an operation to instruct execution of the application is performedby the user of the cellular phone 1 in S29, the processing proceeds toS30, and analysis of the corresponding ADF which is saved in S26 iscarried out. Then, in S31, it is judged whether or not the enlargeddisplay function of the display unit 5 is ON. Further, the ON/OFF of theenlarged display function is set as a result of the user making inputsby means of the input unit 3 beforehand.

As a result, when the enlarged display function is ON, the processingproceeds to S32 and the enlargement rate within a range in which all ofthe assumed display area fits into the displayable area is calculated.Then, in S33; the enlarged size as a result of multiplying thisenlargement rate by the application vertical size and the applicationhorizontal size of the assumed display area is set as the size of theapplication display area in screen 51. Further, when the enlargeddisplay function is OFF, the processing proceeds to S34 and the size ofthe assumed display area is set as the size of the application displayarea in the screen 51.

When the size of the application display area is set in S33 and S34, theprocessing proceeds to S35 and the position of the display area is setto the center of the displayable area. Further, if all of the displayarea can fit into the displayable area, the display area may be set to aposition other than the center of the displayable area. Then, thecorresponding application is executed in S36.

As described above, according to the cellular phone 1 of the secondembodiment, even if the display unit 5 does not comprise a reduceddisplay function for the screen 51, in cases where the assumed displayarea of the application fits into the displayable area of the screen 51,the application can be displayed in the optimum display area similarlyto the first embodiment.

Preferred embodiments of the present invention were described in detailhereinabove, but it goes without saying that the present invention isnot limited to or by the above embodiments.

For example, as a result of the user inputting a desired position on thedisplay screen by means of the input unit 3 and so forth, the positionof the display area of an application which is being executed can bechanged to the desired position. This means that it is accordinglypossible to fulfill individual user requests and to improve userconvenience further.

Moreover, in the above embodiments, the present invention wasillustrated with a cellular phone as the mobile communication terminalbut can be applied with any information device that comprises a wirelesscommunications function such as a PHS (Personal Handyphone System), or aPDA (Personal Digital Assistance), and so forth. It goes without sayingthat the applications which are permitted to apply the present inventionare not particularly limited either.

Further, as far as the order for the transmission of ADFs andapplications to the cellular phone is concerned, these ADFs andapplications may be transmitted simultaneously or may be transmittedsuch that the ADFs are transmitted after the applications.

In addition, the above embodiments indicate a form in which the cellularphone that corresponds to the mobile communication terminal of thepresent invention receives application software and attribute data froman application distribution server. However, the mobile communicationterminal according to the present invention may receive applicationsoftware and attribute data from an information processing apparatusother than an application distribution server, or may receiveapplication software and attribute data via a stick memory or otherstorage medium.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

As described hereinabove, according to the present invention, thereceiving means receive application software, and attribute data thatindicates an assumed display area that is to be used as a display areaduring execution of the application software and, therefore, controllingmeans are capable of controlling the display area of the applicationsoftware in the display screen of the displaying means on the basis ofthe received attribute data and display screen displayable area data,whereby the application software can be executed using an optimumdisplay area. It is accordingly unnecessary to prepare display areasizes which can be used by application software for each displayablearea of a variety of mobile communication terminals, whereby applicationsoftware can be made generic.

1. A mobile communication terminal, comprising: displaying means thatinclude a display screen and that serve to display information on thisdisplay screen; receiving means for receiving application software, andattribute data that indicates an assumed display area that is to be usedas a display area during execution of the application software; andcontrolling means for controlling the display area of the applicationsoftware in the display screen of the displaying means on the basis ofthe attribute data received by the receiving means and displayable areadata that indicates the displayable area of the display screen; and thecontrolling means comprises: judging means for judging whether or notthe assumed display area fits into the displayable area on the basis ofthe attribute data and the displayable area data; size setting meanswhich, in cases where the result of the judgment by the judging means isthat the assumed display area fits into the displayable area, set thesize of the assumed display area as the size of the display area, andwhich, in case where the assumed display area exceeds the displayablearea, set a size which is produced as a result of reducing the size ofthe assumed display area so that the assumed display area fits into thedisplayable area as the size of the display area; and position settingmeans for setting the position of the display area to a predeterminedposition in the displayable area so that the display area whose size hasbeen set by the size setting means fits into the displayable area. 2.The mobile communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein thecontrolling means further comprise: Prohibiting means which, in caseswhere the diaplaying means do not comprise a reduced display functionfor the display screen and the assumed display area exceeds thedisplayable area, prohibit the setting of the size of the display areawhich is performed by the size setting means.
 3. The mobilecommunication terminal according to claim 1, wherein in cases where theresult of the judgment by the judging means is that the assumed displayarea fits into the displayable area, the size setting means set a sizewhich is produced as a result of enlarging the size of the assumeddisplay area within a range that fits into the displayable area as thesize of the display area.
 4. The mobile communication terminal accordingto claim 1, wherein the predetermined position is approximately at thecenter o the displayable area.
 5. The mobile communication terminalaccording to claim 1, further comprising designating means which allowthe user to designate the predetermined position.
 6. A mobilecommunication terminal for communicating with an application softwaredistribution apparatus that distributes application software,comprising: displaying means that include a display screen and thatserve to display information on this display screen; receiving means forreceiving, from the application software distribution apparatus, theapplication software, and attribute data that indicates an assumeddisplay area that is to be used as a display area during execution ofthe application software; and controlling means for controlling thedisplay area of the application software in the display screen of thedisplaying means on the basis of the attribute data received by thereceiving means and displayable area data that indicates the displayablearea of the display screen; and the controlling means comprises: judgingmeans for judging whether or not the assumed display area fits into thedisplayable area on the basis of the attribute data and the displayablearea data; size setting means which, in cases where the result of thejudgment by the judging means is that the assumed display area fits intothe displayable area, set the size of the assumed display area as thesize of the display area, and which, in case where the assumed displayarea exceeds the displayable area, set a size which is produced as aresult of reducing the size of the assumed display area so that theassumed display area fits into the displayable area as the size of thedisplay area; and position setting means for setting the position of thedisplay area to a predetermined position in the displayable area so thatthe display area whose size has been set by the size setting means fitsinto the displayable area.
 7. A display control method which is executedby a mobile communication terminal comprising displaying means thatinclude a display screen and that serve to display information on thedisplay screen, comprising: a receiving step of receiving applicationsoftware, and attribute data that indicates an assumed display area thatis to be used as a display area during execution of the applicationsoftware; and a controlling step of controlling the display area of theapplication software in the display screen of the displaying means onthe basis of the attribute data received in the receiving step anddisplayable area data that indicates the displayable area of the displayscreen; and the controlling step comprises: a judging step of judgingwhether or not the assumed display area fits into the displayable areaon the basis of the attribute data and the displayable area data; asizing setting step of setting the size of the assumed display area asthe size of the display area in cases where the result of the judgmentin the judging step is that the assumed display area fits into thedisplayable area, and of setting a size which is produced as a result ofreducing the size of the assumed display area so that the assumeddisplay area fits into the displayable area as the size of the displayarea in cases where the assumed display area exceeds the displayablearea; and a position setting step of setting the position of the displayarea to a predetermined position in the displayable area so that thedisplay area whose size has been set in the size setting step fits intothe displayable area.
 8. The display control method according to claim7, wherein in cases where the displaying means do not comprise a reduceddisplay function for the display screen and the assumed display areaexceeds the displayable area, the setting of the size of the displayarea in the size setting step is prohibited.
 9. The display controlmethod according to claim 7, wherein in cases where the result of thejudgment in the judging step is that the assumed display area fits intothe displayable area, the size setting step sets a size which isproduced as a result of enlarging the size of the assumed display areawithin a range that fits into the displayable area as the size of thedisplay area.
 10. The display control method according to claim 7,wherein the predetermined position is approximately at the center of thedisplayable area.
 11. A display control method which is executed by amobile communication terminal for communicating with an applicationsoftware distribution apparatus that distributes application softwareand that comprise displaying means that include a display screen andthat serve to display information on the display screen, comprising: areceiving step of receiving, from the application software distributionapparatus, the application software, and attribute data that indicatesan assumed display area that is to be used as a display area duringexecution of the application software; and a controlling step ofcontrolling the display area of the application software in the displayscreen of the displaying means on the basis of the attribute datareceived in the receiving step and displayable area data that indicatesthe displayable area of the display screen; and the controlling stepcomprises: a judging step of judging whether or not the assumed displayarea fits into the displayable area on the basis of the attribute dataand the displayable area data; a sizing setting step of setting the sizeof the assumed display area as the size of the display area in caseswhere the result of the judgment in the judging step is that the assumeddisplay area fits into the displayable area, and of setting a size whichis produced as a result of reducing the size of the assumed display areaso that the assumed display area fits into the displayable area as thesize of the display area in cases where the assumed display area exceedsthe displayable area; and a position setting step of setting theposition of the display area to a predetermined position in thedisplayable area so that the display area whose size has been set in thesize setting step fits into the displayable area.